He was her family, and even if the odds were against her, Madeline could not simply stand there and watch him die. Yes, he needed his mother and father by his side, to hold his hand and put his heart and mind at ease. However….
“I will go,” Madeline declared, spinning on her heel and hastening to her room. As she pulled open her wardrobe, reaching for her warmest dress whose hem was not already soaked through, Bessy and Sean came rushing into the room without bothering to knock. Glancing at her brother-in-law, Madeline pointed at the door. “You better head back to your wife and child, Sean, as I’m about to change, and, believe me, I do not care if you’re watching or not.”
With wide eyes, Sean stared at her, shock clearly written on his face, before Bessy nudged him with her elbow and sent him out of the room. Then she turned her attention back to Madeline, who was already pulling off her wet dress. “Are ye sure ye know what ye’re doin’?”
Reaching for the new dress, Madeline shrugged. “Does it matter? He needs a doctor. There’s a doctor in London, and the only way to get him here is to go.”
Bessy sighed, “I’m touched by your willingness to go, dear, but it will take too long. It willna help Collin and only put ye at risk. The sun will set in less than an hour. How will ye get to London in the dark? What if ye’re set upon by highwaymen? Think this through, child.”
Madeline shook her head, forcing back the tears that threatened. “I cannot let him die, not without trying.” Holding Bessy’s gaze, she cleared her throat. “Besides, London may be two days away if you go by cart as Sean does. If I take Arion, I will be faster.”
Bessy’s brows furrowed. “My son would not want you to do this, to risk yourself.”
Madeline sighed, her lips tightening. “He is not here, is he? I can make my own decisions. He told me that.” Ignoring the suspicious gleam that came to her mother-in-law’s eyes, Madeline rushed back to Collin’s room and knelt by his side. Gently, she brushed a stray curl from his clammy forehead. “I’ll bring back help,” she whispered to him. “I promise. But you must hold on. Do you hear me?” Then she rose to her feet and met Kara’s misted gaze. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Nodding, Kara stood to embrace her. “Thank you.”
“Let me go in your stead,” Sean said, his voice weak as he stepped forward, casting a longing glance over his shoulder at his son. “A woman should not be out on the road alone and in the dark.”
Madeline shook her head. “No, you’re needed here. Do not argue with me for you cannot change my mind.” Then before he could say another word, she turned around and strode down the corridor. With each second that passed, her step quickened until she was almost flying down the stairs and out the front door.
Once again, pulling her coat tightly around her, she hastened toward the stable and saddled Arion as quickly as she could. The gelding nudged her gently as though to give her courage, and she patted his neck. “Collin needs us tonight,” she whispered, pulling herself onto the giant horse’s back. Although she had not dared to ride astride in years, it seemed fitting tonight and far easier to hold herself in the saddle for the hours ahead. “Run like the wind, Arion,” she whispered in his ear as they left behind the stable and turned toward the road. “For Collin.”
As though the gelding knew what was at stake, he lurched forward as though trying to outrun the approaching night. Clinging to his back, Madeline felt the wind whip in her face and pull on her hair, and she remembered the many times she had ridden her father’s noble steeds for recreation, for entertainment, for company.
But never for a matter of life and death.
Feeling her heart thudding in her chest, Madeline felt a sudden calm engulf her, her eyes focused on one goal alone: saving Collin’s life.
Somewhere in the back of her head, she heard her husband’s voice. Because you’ve never been asked to. Your family never needed you to sacrifice anything to survive, but if they had, I’m certain you would have done everything in your power to protect them, to see them safe.
A soft smile came to Madeline’s face as she realised that her husband had been right. Ignoring the soft pang of jealousy she felt when thinking of him, she wondered if they might not be so ill-matched after all. Maybe she had never known her own worth because she had never been called upon to discover it.
But now, she knew.
No matter what would happen, now she knew that she was the kind of woman who would risk everything to protect someone she loved.
Chapter Twenty-Eight ? To London
Still worried about Meagan and the children, Derek headed home when darkness began to fall. As much as he cared for her, he hated her stubborn pride. Everything would be so much easier if she simply were to accept his help.
Would you? An annoyingly familiar voice whispered.
Sighing, Derek shook his head. Then he looked up, a frown drawing down his brows as his gaze fell on the darkened house, and he could not help but wonder why most of the rooms seemed dark from the outside. Even the kitchen only seemed to hold a soft glow. Where was his mother? Was she not preparing supper?
Stepping inside, his anxiety grew as he walked from room to room, only to find them empty. “Mother? Kara?” he called, heading up the stairs, his gaze narrowed as he searched his surroundings.
“There ye are,” his mother said from the landing.
“What’s going on? Why is it so dark everywhere?” Again, Derek glanced around. “Where is Madeline? And Kara and Sean?” Looking back at his mother, he noticed the strain that hung on her features, and his heart clenched painfully. “Tell me what happened.”
After taking a deep breath, his mother said, “Collin has fallen ill.”
Watching his mother carefully, Derek knew that she was not referring to a common cold. No, this was serious. Whatever was wrong with Collin, it was life-threatening. “I’ll go for the doctor,” he said, turning on his heel and hastening down the stairs.
“Your wife already has.”
Freezing in his step, his hand on the door handle, Derek closed his eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. Then he turned around to face his mother, the expression in her eyes one of curious anticipation. “She has done what?” he asked as fear clawed at his heart. “Where is she?”
His mother exhaled a long breath. “On the road to London.”
Cursing under his breath, Derek felt his hands ball into fists, and he desperately fought the urge to put them through the wall behind him. “Why did you let her go?” he demanded, focusing on anger rather than the fear that threatened to rob him of his sanity. “Why didn’t you hold her back?”
“Because she was determined,” his mother replied as she walked down the stairs toward him, her gaze fixed on his.
Derek shook his head. “You shouldn’t have,” he growled, his jaw clenching painfully. “How could you let her go? What if…something happens to her. Did you ever stop to think??”
“I did!” his mother snapped, her eyes hard as she looked at him. “So, did she, but she had to go.”
“Why?” Derek demanded, feeling as though the walls were closing in on him. He could count on one hand how often he had been frightened out of his mind.
“For the same reason, ye offered to go the moment ye heard of the danger to Collin’s life,” his mother said, her voice calm as she held his gaze. “Because she loves him.”
Derek drew in a long breath, knowing only too well the powerful desire to protect the ones one loved. His wife had not hesitated to offer her assistance to save Collin, and he would not hesitate to follow in her footsteps…to protect her.
Once more he turned to the door, and once more his mother spoke up. “Ye need to let her do this, son,” she counselled, her voice calm and imploring, and yet, he could still hear the fear that laced every word. “I know ye’re afraid for her like I was afraid for ye when ye went off to fight. But I had to let ye go, and now, so do ye. Have faith in her. Allow her to do this.”